Golkar's public relations must improve: Basofi Sudirman<\/p>\n
By Sirikit Syah<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): East Java Governor Basofi Soedirman must have
\nplenty on his mind these days besides his new dangdut album,
\nHanya Kau Yang Kupilih (You're The One I Choose).<\/p>\n
Basofi, whose best selling first album Tidak Semua Laki-laki
\n(Not All Men) earned him the title dangdut governor, was
\nappointed East Java governor in 1993 with the apparent mission of
\nhelping Golkar win the May 29 election. He had earned his
\nreputation by helping Golkar win the 1992 election when he was
\nJakarta deputy governor and chief of the Golkar Jakarta chapter.<\/p>\n
He talked to The Jakarta Post at his home Monday.<\/p>\n
Question: What do you think of the current campaign,
\nparticularly compared to the 1992 campaign?<\/p>\n
Answer: Political parties do not understand the meaning of
\ncampaigning. They are given one month to convince people about
\ntheir ideas and programs... (they) must be entertaining,
\nsympathetic and express good and positive things. But now, it's
\nbecome brutal, there is condemnation of others, which frightens
\npeople. The party leaders don't realize that this could cause a
\nbacklash.<\/p>\n
I feel sorry about this. Compared to the past, the quality of
\nthis campaign is poor.<\/p>\n
Q: What steps have you been taking to anticipate obstacles
\nhampering the election?<\/p>\n
A: There is a group of people seeking to destabilize society and
\nruin the election. President Soeharto called them bald-headed
\nghosts. Those people are invisible but we can sense their
\nmovement which targets youths and students, workers, the poor and
\nthe religious community.<\/p>\n
Three of their targets in East Java (are safe) but the last
\ntarget, the religious community, has been influenced by those
\npeople. This has been proved by (the sectarian riots in)
\nSitubondo and Surabaya (where houses of worship were attacked).<\/p>\n
Praise Allah, the umara (government leaders) and ulemas
\n(religious leaders) quickly consolidated and solved the problems.
\nBut those people (seeking to destabilize the country) have
\nstarted their insidious campaign among other religious
\ncommunities.<\/p>\n
Q: So bald-headed ghosts are now also influencing religious
\ngroups?<\/p>\n
A: Before the election campaign started, those people had found
\nnew targets, the political parties. The leaders of the parties
\nshould now realize that their campaigning has caused more victims
\nthan it has gained supporters. In the end, it is not good for
\nthem.<\/p>\n
Q: What's your campaign strategy?<\/p>\n
A: I disagree with mobilizing the people. It's an outdated
\nstrategy. I have never done that kind of campaigning. The most
\nimportant thing is to entertain people, make them happy. They are
\nkings now. We propose things to them. So we do whatever they want
\nus to do. Selling lists of programs? Who cares?<\/p>\n
Q: Is it true that East Java is the hottest election spot in
\nIndonesia?<\/p>\n
A: Yes. Its people are temperamental. It has always been like
\nthis of course, but before it was more manageable.<\/p>\n
Q: What's your strategy for political education in East Java?
\nHave there been any results?<\/p>\n
A: We must admit that our understanding of the nation is very
\nlimited. There are three things that I believe should be
\nunderstood by all of us. The first is our ideology Pancasila; we
\nhave to have similar perceptions on this.<\/p>\n
The second is an understanding of development; there is still
\nsome misunderstanding of the concept and yardstick of
\ndevelopment. This could be dangerous.<\/p>\n
The third is what constitutes the nation's strength. I believe
\nthat Golkar is the right recipe for Indonesia. You can learn and
\nfind all sorts of political party anywhere in the world, but you
\ncan only find Golkar here.<\/p>\n
Golkar is not a political party. We have to explain that to
\npeople. But this is our weakness. We cannot explain what it
\nreally is. Some Golkar leaders even behave like political
\nleaders. Political leaders work for their parties but Golkar
\nleaders should work for the nation.<\/p>\n
Q: Can you explain exactly what Golkar is?<\/p>\n
A: I have met Golkar's founders and learned from them. Believe
\nme, everybody says different things about Golkar. So, I have had
\nto draw my own conclusion... I realize now that when they
\nfounded Golkar, there weren't concepts. There was only intuition.<\/p>\n
But this is the right recipe for Indonesia. It is now our duty
\nand responsibility to define Golkar and explain it to people. I
\nthink Golkar needs good public relations and we have to stop
\nbehaving like we are a political party. We are workers whose aim
\nis to develop our country.<\/p>\n
Q: How do you foresee the election proceeding?<\/p>\n
A: I am optimistic that it will be successful. I think to choose
\nis not only a matter of electing something. To choose is life
\nitself. You are always faced with choices in life. To choose a
\nwife, to choose a job, to choose where to live, etc., etc.<\/p>\n
It is also a religious matter. By not choosing you could be
\ncalled a coward or an irresponsible person.<\/p>\n
But yes, we all must prepare for the last round of campaigning
\non May 21, May 22 and May 23. The bald-headed ghosts will be more
\nactive and party leaders will be more under their influence. The
\nsituation might deteriorate then.<\/p>\n
Q: What is your biggest constraint in governing East Java?<\/p>\n
A: Communication. I believe in mass media and I need it. But most
\nof the time, they disappoint me. In 1987, I started to write my
\narticles (on the media) to express my opinions of it. I tried to
\nbe wise and yet critical.<\/p>\n
My other tool is singing. Being a singer has never been and
\nwill never be my aim. It is only a tool to approach my people.
\nIt is like glue. People know me, listen to me and understand me.<\/p>\n
Q: When did you start singing?<\/p>\n
A: In 1991. On one occasion, we were waiting for then minister of
\ntransportation Azwar Anaz who was running late for the function.
\nThe audience became restless. They began leaving. There was a
\nband, so I took the microphone and sang two songs. They became
\nhappy and asked for more. By the time Azwar had arrived, I had
\nsung five songs.<\/p>\n
That was the first time I sang in public. What a feeling.
\nThen I realized that singing can bond people.<\/p>",
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